Know Thyself
by PineappleGrenade
Summary: The Robinson party are in trouble as usual, but this time it appears that their only chance of survival is Doctor Smith! Can they trust him to save them, or will he be too preoccupied by his own problems?  Set during Season One
1. Chapter 1

Another day dawned bright and vibrant on Priplanis, the alien sun illuminating the vast vistas of the rugged landscape. It shone down on the native life-forms that inhabited the planet, such as the enormous lizard-type monsters and pointy-eared bloops; but it also favoured something far stranger with its golden glow – something that was not of its world. To the creatures of Priplanis, the metallic object that crouched upon the horizon like some silent interloper was an outlandish sight, but to human eyes it would be instantly recognised as the Jupiter Two: a spaceship containing the pioneer family Robinson and their co-pilot Major Don West that some months ago had been _lost in space_!

Also upon that ill-fated spaceship had been the stowaway Doctor Zachary Smith and the Robot that he had helped to programme as an environmental aid to the Robinsons. As the sun rose into the sky that morning, the good doctor was to be found on the upper deck of the Jupiter, once again diligently working on the Robot's circuitry.

"Warning, warning," the metal man solemnly intoned. "Tampering with my circuits may result in an electrical charge fatal to humans."

"Be quiet, you silly goose," Smith chided disparagingly, narrowly missing being struck about the face by the Robot's wildly flailing arms. He ducked under the hazardous limbs and gave a few last twists of the screwdriver to the automaton's control panel. "There! That should do the trick!" Triumphantly he snapped the control panel shut and stood up, just as the Robot abruptly drew its arms back in towards its body. It took all of Smith's considerable grace and poise to avoid being knocked over the head, and even then he only just escaped unscathed.

"Now, my dear metallic friend, which side do you choose: black or white?"

The Robot surveyed the chess board that stood in front of it and appeared to be seriously considering the conundrum at hand. "Black," it decided finally, "But I must tell you Doctor Smith, no matter how many of my circuits you reconnect, I will still beat you at chess."

"Fiddle-dee fie. Back in my youth I was considered the finest junior chess player in the world. If only I had kept it up and not turned to a life of science – as brilliant as I am in that field – I might have made my fortune." Smith took his seat at the opposite end of the chess board with a flourish. His hand poised to select a champion for his cause, he ran his fingers over the two ranged rows of pieces before eventually selecting one. "King's bishop to B3!"

"That, Doctor Smith, is a rook."

"What?" Snatching up the piece, Smith brought it close to his face and frowned at it as if suspecting the piece of some act of independent treachery. "Ah yes, so it is. It's my eyes, you know, they're not what they used to be." He put the piece back down on the board. "Well then, you nickel-plated ninny? It's your move. Come along, come along and be quick about it."

The Robot made a noise that, had it not been made by a robot, would most likely have been mistaken for a world-weary sigh.

It was whilst this exchange was taking place that, unnoticed by the two noble combatants, the door to the ship slowly slid open to admit entry to a humanoid shape. It took a furtive look to the left and right before beginning to creep towards the ladder that allowed access to the lower decks, a suspicious bundle clutched in its arms. Almost halfway across the floor, its shuffling foot connected with the screwdriver that Smith had nonchalantly cast aside, sending it clattering into the main navigation bank. The figure froze.

"Destroy!" The Robot's cumbersome top half swung around to face the intruder as its right arm extended, preparing an electrical blast with which to fry the imminent threat to the safety of the ship. The fearsome intruder let loose with a little scream of surprise.

An expression of alarm crossed Doctor Smith's face to be rapidly replaced with one of sly cunning when he saw the true identity of their unexpected visitor. Hurriedly he stood up and went to the Robot's side, laying a restraining hand on its shooting arm. "Careful, careful; what do you think you are doing? You were about to blast dear little Penny, you malevolent machine."

"But Doctor Smith, you ordered me to destroy all non-essential family members…"

"Never mind that now," the doctor interrupted, catching the wide-eyed look that the Robinsons' youngest daughter was directing at him. To prove his innocence in any underhand attempts on the child's life, he went so far as to give the Robot's metal arm a sound slap.

"It does not compute," the Robot stated sadly, trundling away from the scene of its miserable confusion.

"I'll attend to you later, sir!" Smith called after it. He looked back to find that Penny had seized the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat and was once again making a break for the ladder. "Penny? Penny, my dear child!"

Thwarted in her escape, Penny reluctantly turned around.

"Whatever are you holding behind your back?"

"Behind my…"Acting as if up until that moment she had been unaware of having anything in her hands, let alone hidden out of sight behind her back, the girl looked with surprise over her own shoulder. "Oh, nothing really."

But Doctor Smith, who was no stranger to the art of duplicity – even if he did say so himself – recognised at once that not only was the girl aware that she was trying to hide something, she also knew that it was most definitely not a nothing! In fact, it could only be said to be none other than a something. And somethings were what interested Doctor Zachary Smith the most, especially ones that were worth hiding out of other people's sight.

"Then my dear child, perhaps you would care to play a game of chess with me?"

Penny's innocent face, unused to being used for such dishonest ends, contorted uncomfortably. "Maybe later sir; Mum said I had to tidy my cabin this morning."

"Of course," Smith replied in an indulgent tone that suggested he knew very well that Penny had been told no such thing, but was willing to go along with the excuse for the sake of the child's comfort. Dismissing her with a gracious wave of the hand, he continued "Far be it for me to stand in the way between a child and her duty to her mother."

He watched as Penny gratefully turned and hurried towards the ladder. In the attempt to negotiate the descent with the mysterious bundle in her arms, whilst at the same time trying to pretend that she was unhindered by anything, she almost dropped it several times. A faint squeak reached Smith's sharp ears. Perhaps it was the sound of diamonds rubbing against each other? Or the poorly-oiled hinges of some fabulous machine that needed only the hand of a skilled engineer such as himself before it could grant him untold riches? He smiled.

No sooner had he sat down to contemplate the incalculable wealth that would shortly be his, than he was disturbed again by the arrival of more of the intrepid Robinson crew. Ignoring him completely, John Robinson and Major Don West headed straight for the main bank of computers at the front of the ship and took up fretful – but unmistakably manly – positions before them.

"How long do you reckon we've got, John?"

"Oh, about twelve hours or so; but I'll know more once we've recalibrated the radar to pick up large moving objects on the planet's surface."

"I'll get right on it."

Self-preservation being one of Smith's stronger instincts, overriding even the noble pursuit of wealth, he instantly became alert to the possibility of encroaching danger. Quietly, he approached the two men and peered over their shoulders at the confusing array of flashing lights and sweeping radar screens.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance, sirs?"

Don glared silently over his shoulder at the doctor before turning his attention back to the computers. "Buzz off, Smith," he muttered truculently.

"Buzz off, indeed!" The doctor repeated in scandalised tones.

"What is it you want, Smith?"

"Oh Professor Robinson, I couldn't help but overhear that you were having some trouble recalibrating the radar and knowing the paltry knowledge the Major possesses of such things, thought perhaps that I could be of some help." He surveyed the machinery with a professional eye. "Ah, here's your problem!"

John quickly caught the good doctor's wrist as he was about to flip a switch that would unleash all of the Jupiter's not inconsiderable weaponry upon the breakfast table outside. "Thank you, but maybe we should let Major West handle this. He, ah, needs the experience."

"I understand completely, Professor," Smith conceded, failing to see the look of exasperation that passed between the two other men.

Silence ensued, broken only by the occasional _tap_ or _beep_ as Don deftly manipulated the machinery into doing his bidding. There was a sudden long electronic tone and the rotating beam of the radar scope immediately picked up a huddle of dots moving steadily towards the ship. A tight-lipped grin of triumph flitted across John's face and he delivered a hearty slap of congratulations on the Major's shoulder. Smith blinked in bemusement at the display.

"And what, pray tell, are those?" He stabbed an enquiring finger at the dots on the radar scope.

"Those, Smith, are a group of large slimy reptiles. Family members of yours?"

"Spare me the poisonous barbs of the lesser intellect, Major."

Conversation dropped to a lull once again, the three men fascinated by the inexorable approach of the unclassified dots. Strange that something so vague could exude such an air of menace. The very inevitability of it seemed to enrapture them.

Doctor Smith was the first to break the silence. "Good Heavens, it appears as if they're moving straight towards the ship." Nervously he pressed a hand to his chest, subconsciously seeking out the steady beat of his heart to provide reassurance.

"That's because they are."

"What?"

"Our ship crash-landed directly in the migration path of a group of what appear to be gigantic reptiles. Don and I were out working on the Chariot this morning and the ground started shaking. He got the binoculars and we spotted the creatures slowly approaching. I think they make the journey to avoid the terrible heat that this planet endures in the course of its orbit."

"We'll be destroyed!"

"Yes we will, unless we can figure out a way to either move the ship or divert their course."

Smith's hand fluttered anxiously at his throat whilst he considered this statement. "Then I must begin to fortify the lower decks at once! If anyone needs me I shall be in my cabin, preparing our defences."

"Hiding under the bed more like," Don sniped as a smooth rumbling of gears behind him announced the descent of the lift, along with Doctor Smith, to the sleeping quarters.

"I heard that, Major!"

Never one to lose his sense of humour, even in the most dire of situations, John laughed and clapped his co-pilot heartily on the back.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lunch is ready!"

He had started out with the purest of intentions, truly he had. Leaving John and Major West to their futile scheming, Doctor Smith had descended to the lower deck in order to strengthen the hull against the coming stampede. But then he had remembered Penny. There were all kinds of trouble a sweet, trusting child such as herself could get into by meddling with alien artefacts. It was his duty, no, his _responsibility_, to investigate whatever it was that Penny had brought onto the ship.

So, after standing outside the door to her cabin for some minutes to ascertain whether or not it was deserted, he had ventured in and embarked upon the search for the object. Any lingering doubts he might have harboured regarding the child's excuse for not playing chess with him were rapidly dispelled when he saw the state of her room. Even if her mother had indeed instructed her to spend the morning tidying, her word had obviously been ignored – the cabin was a mess. But then, Smith reasoned sympathetically, what else could be expected from bringing one's children up in the wilderness of space. The children were savages, the lot of them.

Zachary Smith, however, was not about to allow a little mess prevent him from carrying out an obligation to his crewmates. He had valiantly shaken out rumpled bed sheets and overturned crowded drawers – all to no avail. There was nothing to be found except for the usual worthless debris of childhood. Exhausted by the exertion, his mental faculties battered by the chaos in the room, he had decided to rest awhile. There was no problem that could not be solved with the eyes firmly closed. But what had been intended as a brief respite had turned into a nap lasting for hours. He had been asleep on Penny's desk chair all morning!

"Hurry up, or it will get cold!"

Slowly, the summons to lunch brought him around from a pleasant dream involving a medium rare steak smothered with mushrooms, to the harsh reality of salad grown in the hydroponic garden. His eyelids fluttered open and he took a moment or two to process his surroundings. Once he had, his expression froze in horror and he gave a heart-rending scream, for sitting on his chest was a furry alien. It loomed in his vision, a bristling monstrosity that was all blazing eyes and long dripping fangs. Venting another scream, he pushed the creature from him with both hands and ran from the room as if all the hounds of Hell were snapping at his heels.

"Why Doctor Smith, whatever is the matter?" Maureen asked him when he came stumbling out of the ship, his eyes wide with terror and his usually neat grey hair in disarray.

"I see it, but I don't believe it," Don chipped in with a ridiculous smirk on his face that hardly befitted the desperate situation. "Smith's actually late for a meal."

Too shaken by his ordeal to respond to the Major's goading, Smith sank down onto the nearest chair and passed a trembling hand across his brow. "Oh dear, oh dear; how dreadful, I'll never be the same again. A little water if you please, William. My mouth is dreadfully dry," he whimpered pitifully.

The youngest Robinson reached for the water jug and would have complied, had it not been for his father putting a staying hand on the boy's wrist.

"Not so fast, son. Now Smith, why don't you tell us exactly what happened."

"Oh, I simply couldn't… At least, not without a little water."

John charitably nodded at his son to go ahead. Once the glass was in his hands, Smith gulped it greedily. His eyes roved around the table and were met on all sides with looks of impatience and curiosity. It was obvious that he had no choice but to recount his experience, as painful as that would be for him. Delicately, he cleared his throat.

"As the Major and Professor Robinson are well aware, I have been on the lower level of the ship all morning, manning our defences." He paused, wondering whether it would be prudent to reveal that the creature that had attacked him had been in Penny's room – the Robinsons, after all, might not take kindly to the idea of his being in there, no matter how pure his motives had been.

It was as he debated what information should be omitted from his tale, that he noticed that not all the faces turned to his were hanging on his every word with eager interest. The child Penny was sitting with eyes downcast, an expression of guilty discomfort on her features. It was an expression he himself was not unfamiliar with, having been the helpless victim of circumstance more times than he would care to recall, so he knew it to be one of someone dreading the revelation of a guilty secret. Suddenly, she turned her eyes up to his, silently pleading with him, and he realised in a flash that the creature was the mysterious bundle she had smuggled onto the ship that very morning. Inwardly he smiled at the power he now held over the girl and continued with his account with renewed determination.

"So intent was I upon my work that I did not realise the mortal danger I was in until it was too late! On silent claws it crept up behind me, coming so close that I could not fail to feel its hot, foetid breath on my neck. I turned around and saw that whilst I had been working, a terrible alien had gained access to the ship. Prepared to sell my life dearly, I took up a wrench and struck at it – like this!" Thoroughly taken by the heroism of his narrative, Smith leapt up so violently to re-enact his battle that he knocked the water jug over.

"Golly!" Will exclaimed, whilst Maureen opined a more subdued "Oh my," and tried to rescue what was left of their water ration.

"Then what happened?" Judy, the eldest Robinson child, asked, for she had not spoken yet and often got the throwaway dialogue that served no purpose other than to further along the narrative.

"Severely wounded by my attack, the monster made a cowardly retreat. I would have pursued it, had I not thought it would be far better if I came to warn you all of its presence."

"And, uh, what did this monster look like, Smith?" Don asked, still grinning like he thought it was all some big joke designed purely for his own inane amusement.

Doctor Smith considered for a moment and then held out his hands about twelve inches apart from one another. "About this large, all covered in fur and with great big fangs."

The whole assembled party burst out laughing, much to Smith's chagrin. The miserable wretches, after he had just probably saved all of their lives; how dare they laugh at him?

"I don't know what your angle is, but you must have flipped if you think we're going to believe that load of baloney."

Smith favoured the Major with his most withering of looks. "Baloney indeed. Well, if that is what you all think, then I shall take my lunch alone. Adieu." Indignantly, he began piling his plate with salad in preparation for his departure.

"Calm down, Smith. Don was only joking," Professor Robinson soothed, although he did not make the effort to smooth the lurking smile off of his handsome face. Pushing aside his own finished plate, he also stood and motioned to the Major. "We'd better go and check out the lower deck Don, just in case Smith didn't manage to finish off the alien. Then we'll get back to work on moving the ship, we don't have much time left before the migrating lizards reach us." He smiled at his wife. "Thank you for lunch, darling."

"No!" Penny abruptly burst out, much to everyone's surprise. "You can't go looking for that alien Doctor Smith saw!"

John and Maureen exchanged glances before the professor ventured to ask "Why not, sweetheart?"

Penny fidgeted on her chair in an agony of indecision. "Because… Because… Oh, can't you see? I'm worried that you'll get hurt!"

Unsure as to the origin of his daughter's sudden anxiety, John went down on one knee beside her and took her hand reassuringly in his. "Don and I have fought much worse dangers on this planet before and we haven't been hurt."

Due to his retelling of the truth, Doctor Smith had now become an inadvertent ally to Penny in her deception, so it was to him that she turned desperate eyes in a call for help. Just why, he wondered, was she so adverse to her family finding out about the dreadful little alien? Intrigued, for Penny was ordinarily such an open and honest girl, he valiantly came to her rescue once again.

"Professor Robinson, it is my informed opinion as this ship's doctor that Penny is overwrought by the trials and tribulations of space life. The poor dear child's homesickness is manifesting itself in exaggerated concerns for your safety."

"Then, as doctor of the ship of course, what do you suggest I should do?" There was no mistaking the heavy sarcasm in John's voice. It was most likely the only way his brutish mind could deal with the knowledge of his inability to bring up his children in a safe and stable environment, Smith thought to himself.

"Never fear, Smith is here. To save the girl any further distress, I myself shall go and seek out the beast."

"Smith willingly placing himself in danger? Now who's joking?" Don quipped wryly.

"Well, we do have a lot of work to do," John mused. "And if it will make Penny feel better… Alright Smith, go ahead and find that alien."

Helping himself to a last spoonful of salad, Smith and his lunch made a dignified retreat from the Robinsons. Their mocking laughter still echoed in his ears. Very well, if they wanted to stay blissful in their ignorance, he would not lift a finger when the harsh reality of their situation came upon them with open maw. He however, would bravely seek out the alien and discover the secrets that it concealed beneath its matted fur. And if that failed, now that Penny owed him a favour, he could always coerce the information out of her.

Standing by the main computer banks, he paused and called out "Little alien? Sir? Are you here?" There was no reply. He unloaded a forkful of hydroponically grown salad into his mouth and grimaced. "Hardly suitable fare for a gourmet such as myself, but a man must keep up his strength." A sudden noise from behind him startled him so much that he almost choked on his mouthful. "Is that you, my diminutive friend?"

But, when he set his plate down on the navigation console and turned around, there was not a single living thing in sight. His eyes scanned the floor to no avail. "I must be hearing things… the creature is obviously still below." Regretfully, he eyed the salad, but in the end decided that seeking out the alien was of higher import. "I'll attend to you later," he solemnly promised the green leafy vegetation.

He was just about to turn and head for the lift, when voices from outside arrested his attention. One eyebrow arched in interest as he recognised the deep bass tones of Professor Robinson and the reedy whine of the Major lowered in worried conversation. Hardly even daring to breathe, lest he give himself away, he crept closer to the door and listened in.

"I'm afraid we don't have a choice, Don."

"I guess you're right, but I just wish there was another way."

"I've thought about it from every angle and there simply isn't. Come on, we'd best go tell the others to start packing."

Their voices grew gradually quieter as the two men moved away from the ship, leaving Smith with his heart in his mouth. The meaning of their conversation was obvious – they were going to allow the ship to be crushed by those marauding lizards, and with it, Smith's hope of ever getting back to Earth!


	3. Chapter 3

To think that those simple-minded brutes would give up so easily and allow the Jupiter to be destroyed beneath the feet of alien monstrosities! Doctor Smith could not bear the thought. Desperately, he rushed back to the navigation console. Precious seconds were wasted whilst he stared blankly at the incomprehensible dials and switches.

"What to do?" He moaned quietly and clamped his eyes tightly shut against the onslaught of despair. He knew nothing of controlling the ship. No, that was not true; although he had never been intended to ascend into the heavens, his training at Alpha Control had necessarily included some of the rudiments of space flight. Surely he, with his superior intellect, would be able to work out some way of moving the Jupiter out of the path of the migrating aliens.

His faith in himself restored, Smith opened his eyes and began flicking every switch and turning every dial he could get his hands on. Sensors leapt to life, lights winked on and contraptions began to beep in the most encouraging attitude. He even thought he felt the ship rock a little beneath his feet. Yes, it was working! He was moving the Jupiter!

"Smith! What do you think you're doing?"

Don was standing in the doorway of the spacecraft with a look of incredulity on his face that all too soon, the doctor knew from painful experience, would turn to one of unreasonable anger.

"I do not think, I _know_ exactly what it is I am doing, Major."

The Major's wrath was not, however, to be propitiated so easily. "You've gotten up to some pretty mean tricks before," he snarled, "but this goes beyond even you."

"I will not allow you to destroy us all!" Smith shouted back with defiant valour. Resolutely, he turned back towards the consoles and continued with his assault, confident that results could be achieved. Something exploded.

"I ought to wring your neck!" Don bellowed like an enraged beast and darted towards the aggrieved doctor, neatly avoiding an electrical cable that had blasted loose of its casing and was thrashing around on the floor, venting deadly sparks. Billowing smoke filled the confined space of the ship.

Seeing the Major coming towards him out of the smoke, his face twisted into an ugly mask of rage, Smith found there was no reaction more fitting than a terrified scream. "Stay back, Major, I warn you!" He cried, throwing up both hands to fend off the attack and hurriedly backing away. "I have an exceedingly delicate back! My heart just won't take this kind of excitement!" To his horror, he found that he could retreat no more and on risking a quick look over his shoulder saw that he had backed himself up against a wall.

Don's face broke into a sadistic smile and he smacked a fist into his palm in a most dreadfully aggressive manner.

"Oh dear," Smith wailed and covered his eyes with his hands.

Nothing happened.

The electric cable still thrashed and the smoke still billowed, but Doctor Smith's neck was not wrung. Cautiously, he opened his fingers ever so slightly and peered out through the gaps, rapidly closing them again when he saw the Major still hulking over him. "I implore you sir, if you are going to wring my neck, then get it over with." Still nothing.

More boldly now, he lowered his hands and stared over the tops of his fingers. Don was not moving. In fact, he seemed to be frozen in position, his hands outstretched and his face locked in an unbecoming snarl. The world continued to move, but the Major was left behind.

"Tut tut," Smith leered indulgently at the unfortunate Major West, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to make faces? It seems the wind has changed and you have become stuck this way."

In an effort to further compose himself, Smith smoothed down the front of his jacket and took a few deep breaths. He accidentally inhaled some of the smoke and ended up having to contend with a coughing fit. Throughout all this, the Major remained immobile. The best thing to do – Smith considered – would be to vacate the premises immediately. Besides, it was really becoming quite dangerous inside the ship.

Fortunately, only one side of the Jupiter had been affected by the explosion so far, which left the doctor with a clear route to the door. Once outside, he saw that the table had been cleared and there was not a soul in sight. He hesitated a moment in thought and then bent down and smeared some of the planet's sandy soil onto his face with all the care of an actor applying greasepaint. For added effect he also tousled up his hair, before taking off at a run in the direction he supposed the Robinsons to be.

"Help! Help!" He called as he came upon the pioneers, each involved in his or her own task to contribute to the common survival of the group.

"What is it this time?" Professor Robinson asked in a tone of profound boredom.

"Is that nasty old alien after you again?" Judy smiled sweetly, eager to join in with the merrymaking.

"Now Judy," Maureen cautioned gently. "Let's hear what it is Doctor Smith has to say."

"Thank you dear lady, as always I can count on you to shine a light of reason into the darkness of blind cynicism."

"Never mind all that. What's happened, Smith?"

"There's been an explosion on the Jupiter."

"An explosion?" A chorus of voices echoed his in surprise and consternation.

"Yes, it happened whilst I was down on the lower deck. I barely escaped with my life. It's so very fortunate that I was the only one on board."

"Negative," the Robot objected, waving its arms around. "Major West is on the ship. Danger! Danger!"

"That's right; he went to get a wrench." John Robinson sprinted towards the spaceship in his most purposeful masculine stride, the Robot trundling after him in pursuit. The rest of the family soon followed, all eager to save their precious Major West. Smith just hoped that Professor Robinson would be able to set the ship back to rights and repair any damage the navigation console might have sustained during the course of the explosion.

He wiped the dirt from his face and glared at the smears it left on his fingertips with a contemptuous "Bah!" Then, flattening his ruffled hair, he set off in search of a quiet place to sit and rest. After all, he had a lot to think about.

* * *

"There he is!"

Startled from his slumbers, Doctor Smith automatically threw up his hands with a protest of "I'm innocent!" Coming to wakeful alertness he looked around to see Don approaching. He smiled at the Major in a manner that was not so much friendly, as it was reptilian. "Ah Major, how lovely to see you looking so well."

"I told you he'd be hiding out here somewhere."

Leaning slightly to one side, Smith was able to see that the rest of the Robinson party – as well as that refuge from a scrap metal yard, the Robot – had opted to accompany Don on his little social call. He coyly waggled his fingers at them in a wave of greeting, his face a masterful picture of innocence.

"I appreciate your concerns, all of you, but there was no need to send out a search party after me. I have been perfectly fine out here on my own."

"You won't be fine once I get my hands on you, Smith."

Smith looked up at the hot-headed young man, his eyes glittering with malicious good-humour. "Not another step, my dear sir," he warned, holding up one index finger for emphasis.

Uneasily, for he was not accustomed to backing down from a fight, Don lowered his hands to his sides and unclenched his fists.

"Coward!" Smith crowed in disdain, feeling more cheerful than he had ever been since they had touched down on this miserable planet.

Don's hands immediately curled back into fists. "I don't know how you managed to freeze me in place like that, but…"

"It was not of Doctor Smith's doing," the Robot interrupted. "That does not compute."

"The Robot's right," Will joined in. "To do something like that, Doctor Smith would have to be… well, he'd have to be some kind of alien, I guess."

"It was Smith! I know it was!" Don argued hotly.

"Maybe you should go and lie down. We've all had a tiring morning."

Don rounded on Professor Robinson in an unusual display of aggressiveness towards the older man. "I wasn't imagining things. Smith froze me in place somehow right after he blew up the navigation console."

There was a brief pause, John appraising his co-pilot with an expression of concern. Finally, he sighed and looked away. "Go back to the ship, Don. Maureen will fix you a drink. Children, I think you should start heading back as well, I'll be along in a minute."

"John!" The Major started to protest, looking simultaneously confused and outraged in a way that would have had Doctor Smith pitying him, had he not disliked Don so. Seeing the look on John's face however, Major West seemed to lose all will to fight and allowed Maureen to lead him gently away by the arm – Judy trailing forlornly behind him like a lovesick puppy.

Will lingered on a moment longer, staring curiously at Smith, before he too abruptly turned and left, Penny beside him.

Watching the procession wend its merry way back towards the ship, Smith was distracted from his amused interest by Professor Robinson sharply addressing him. "I don't know what you did or didn't do to Major West, but I do know it was you who caused the explosion. If it wasn't for Maureen I would banish you from the ship, but she insisted I give you a second chance. However, if I see you near any of the computer equipment again…" Leaving the unfinished threat hanging heavy in the air – somehow more terrifying than if he had elucidated his intents – John turned on his heel and stalked away.

Slightly discomfited, Smith sat lost in apprehensive contemplation, one hand resting against his chest. Gradually, he became aware of another presence nearby. Rousing himself from morbid considerations, he turned around to find that the Robot had not yet taken his leave. On seeing him, the doctor's disposition turned seamlessly to one of self-righteous indignation, for who else could have denounced him as the cause of the explosion on the Jupiter other than that jabbering Judas?

"You traitor," he condemned the Robot grandly. The Robot winked its lights in recalcitrant silence. "Now cease and desist your infernal chattering at once, I have to think."

"Ha ha, that is a good one, Doctor Smith."

Moving remarkably lithely for one of his delicate constitution, Smith leapt up and neatly removed the Robot's power pack. "I may be a man of many fine and admirable talents, but the one thing I am not is comic relief. How vulgar!" The Robot, devoid of power, made no reply.

"Yes," the doctor murmured to himself, becoming thoughtful once more, "A man may be many things, but there are always some things that he is not…" And again in his head – unbidden – played the words: _Well, he'd have to be some kind of alien, I guess._


	4. Chapter 4

The ground was shaking.

Aboard the Jupiter Two, Penny and Will were engaged in a game of chess. Will, convinced that he would win against his sister despite the fact that his King was already in check, was waiting impatiently for her to make her move so that he could embark upon his counter-attack plan.

"Will, stop fidgeting. You're making the table shake."

Will made a face. "I'm not anywhere near your silly old table."

He took up glaring at the board with renewed vigour, his chin held cupped in his hands. However, he was distracted from his planning by the realisation that the pieces were vibrating ever so slightly. Curious, he placed his hand flat on the table and was able to discern a slight vibration. Then, ignoring his sister's look of confused irritation, he leant down and felt the floor of the ship. It too trembled beneath his touch. His eyes widened in alarm.

"It's not just the table Penny, the whole ship is shaking! We have to tell Dad!"

He raced off, so preoccupied with thoughts of his mission that he failed to notice Penny edging in the opposite direction – towards the lifts.

Just outside the ship Judy was tending to the hydroponic garden with the aid of the Robot, and his mother was loading dirty laundry into the washing machine, but there was no sign of either Don or Professor Robinson. He ran over to Judy and asked her where they were, but she didn't know and neither did the Robot. With mounting frustration, he turned to his mother for answers, but she too was unable to provide any.

"But I gotta find Dad, I just gotta!" Will lamented before taking off again, his heels kicking up small puffs of sand behind him as he ran,

"Don't forget to be back in time for dinner!" Maureen called after his rapidly disappearing form.

He hadn't gone very far before he came across Don. The Major was crouched down in the dirt, his brow wet with perspiration. Remembering the kooky way that Don had been acting earlier – accusing Doctor Smith of rendering him immobile, of all things – Will slowed to a stop, careful not to make any noise that might alert the Major to his presence.

As an extra precaution, he took up a hiding place behind a tree and watched. From what he could see, it appeared that Don was burying objects in the soil, spacing them out at regular intervals. Squinting against the bright sun, Will was able to make out what the objects were – explosive charges!

An involuntary gasp escaped him and he quickly clapped his hands over his mouth. Although, he needn't have worried about any inadvertent sounds alerting the Major to his presence. Don was intent on his task to the exclusion of all else, even muttering darkly under his breath as he worked. A few words drifted over to Will, barely audible, but just clear enough to comprehend.

"…Get rid of… slimy reptile once and for all… a little dynamite ought to do the trick… won't be able to get within an inch of the Jupiter…"

"Golly," Will breathed, "Don's going to blow up Doctor Smith when he tries to come back. I have to go and warn him!"

Previous mission forgotten, Will was consumed by the need to find the doctor and warn him of his impending doom. By virtue of the boy's wits, he was able to get away without being discovered by the arguably unhinged Major.

Presently, he found Doctor Smith not much further from where he had taken leave of him earlier that day. At first he thought that the older man must have been hurt, for he was down on his hands and knees, with one side of his head pressed against the ground. However, even as he started forwards to lend assistance to the ailing casualty, Smith got to his feet and fastidiously dusted off the knees of his trousers.

"Doctor Smith!"

Smith jumped slightly and turned on his heel to face Will. There was a distinct expression of fear on his face that recognition of his visitor did nothing to mitigate. "My dear boy, we must get back to the ship immediately. No matter how… _unwelcome_ I might be there at the moment, it is infinitely better than remaining out here to be trampled by alien lizards." Briskly, he began to walk in the direction of the Jupiter, but before he could get very far, Will grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"No, you can't."

Smith's eyebrows rose in expressive disbelief. "Indeed. I would expect such blind prejudice from one such as your sister Penny perhaps, but not from you. What Professor Robinson has been saying about me is slander of the highest degree and should not be taken notice of by bright boys such as yourself."

"You don't understand, sir. Don's planning to blow you up if you go back to the Jupiter."

This pronouncement seemed to knock all the bluster from Smith's sails and he visibly cringed. "Blow me up?" He repeated querulously, his eyes darting in the direction of the ship as if he feared that Major West might appear over the horizon at any moment, a stick of lighted explosives in each hand. "Surely he wouldn't…"

"I don't know; he was pretty sore at you earlier."

Smith appeared not to have heard. He was staring off into the distance with a faraway look in his eyes and an expression of anxiety on his face. "Then they must have worked it out… They know… Oh, the pain, the pain."

The ground gave a sudden lurch, rocked by the sonorous approach of the migrating lizard-creatures. His doom-laden musings disrupted, Smith was knocked off balance with a frightened cry. If it hadn't been for Will rushing to support him, he would have fallen flat on his face. Doctor Smith really was a helpless old thing, Will thought, looking up at the older man's tremulous face. He just couldn't understand how his father and Major West could believe him capable of causing so much trouble when he was frightened by his own shadow.

"We must get away from here," Smith said, clutching tightly to Will as every new tremor threatened to topple him.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Will rolled his eyes in exasperation, adding to himself that neither was Doctor Smith clever enough to be the engineer of even half the woes that he was accused of bringing about. Some people just had a guilty kind of face, he supposed, and so were always getting the blame for things they couldn't possibly have done.

"Come along then, hurry up, this is no time for dawdling, young William. Take my arm, there we are; this ground is really quite treacherous and I have a delicate back you know."

* * *

"Penny! Dinner's almost ready, come and help me lay the table," Maureen called.

Back at the campsite, Don and John were just returning to the Jupiter. They were greeted by the welcoming smell of hot food, both appreciatively lifting their noses to the air. It had been hard work preparing the surrounding area for the arrival of the migrating aliens, but with the most difficult part of the job over, Professor Robinson was feeling more relaxed than he had all day.

Clapping Don on the shoulder, he took leave of his co-pilot and went to his wife's side. "You're a marvel, darling," he greeted her warmly as he put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer so that he could deliver a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Maureen laughed slightly and turned to look at him. "Whatever was that for?"

"Nothing, I'm just in a good mood."

She smiled with playful wryness in response, tapping him on the chest with the ladle she held. "Now I know you want something."

"Just extra helpings of your delicious dinner." Leaning over the large, simmering pot of rations taken from the storeroom of the ship, he breathed in with exaggerated pleasure.

"Oh, you."

The soft crunching of footsteps alerted them to the presence of another person in the vicinity and John looked up to see Penny approaching. His brows creased in a slight frown at her appearance, before he exchanged a covert glance with his wife. Discreetly, she shook her head in an expression of ignorance.

"Hello, darling. Why are you wearing your coat?"

Penny hugged the garment tighter around herself, as if afraid that her father might try to take it from her. "I was just feeling a little cold, that's all."

Professor Robinson began to feel the first creeping feelings of doubt about his daughter's emotional state. The current temperature was that of a warm summer's day back on Earth. He was feeling slightly too warm in his pullover and had been considering changing into short sleeves before dinner; although he had been engaged in physical exertion which always tended to heat the body up, but even keeping that in mind, Penny shouldn't have been feeling cold enough to need an extra layer of clothing. He hated admitting it, even to himself, but maybe old Doctor Smith had been correct about Penny's state of mind.

Choosing to take his children into outer space had not been an easy decision to make, and at one point he and Maureen had considered leaving them to grow up on Earth, but despite all that had befallen them, so far he had not regretted the decision to bring them along. Now he wondered if he had done the right thing after all. Will had shown no signs of being unable to cope so far, but he had to remember that girls were different from boys and took things to heart more. He hoped that this maladjustment was just a passing phase for Penny, but if not… Well, he would just have to work something out. That was what he always did.

"Okay. You help your mother lay the table. As soon as we finish dinner, I want us to start packing ready to leave."

Soon they were all seated around the table… except for two people. Will and Doctor Smith were missing.

"I just don't understand it," Maureen fretted. "Will is far too sensible to just wander off by himself and get lost."

"And it's not like Doctor Smith to be late for a meal," Don added, never one to pass up an opportunity to speak ill of the stowaway. It had occurred to Professor Robinson more than once that the Major had something of an obsession with Smith, bordering on the unhealthy, but he had never mentioned it and he was not about to start now. Especially not with his son missing.

"If you'd like, I'll go and look for them after dinner," he offered.

Maureen shook her head. "Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to do that. I'm sure they're fine and it's just my women's intuition acting up."

"Well, I don't know about women's intuition, but I'm not too keen on the idea of Will wandering around out there on his own with those aliens around."

A grateful smile flitted across Maureen's face. "You're right, of course."

"Whilst I'm gone, I'd like you and the girls to get packing everything onto the Chariot. I want us all to be clear of this area within an hour at the latest."

Don offered a surly glance in the Professor's direction, obviously disgruntled at being left so conspicuously out of the proceedings; but he made no comment, simply bent lower over his food.


	5. Chapter 5

"I simply cannot go another step," Doctor Smith declared. He promptly sat down on a nearby rock and removed his boots, taking infinite care over shaking out every single grain of sand and tiny rock that always seemed to collect in the wretched things. For a man of his infinite sensitivity, each grain of sand was a bruising barb and every pebble was an agonising knife-point in his sole.

"That's okay," Will replied understandingly. "I should really be getting back now, anyway. Dad will probably be starting to get worried about me."

"Getting back?" Smith impulsively dropped his boot and hugged himself, staring around with wide eyes. In the time they had been marooned on Priplanis, they had all learnt how quickly night fell here and the signs of approaching darkness were nigh. He couldn't bear the thought of being left out there alone, with only the feeble light of the two moons to provide him comfort in his darkest hour.

"William, you can't possibly be thinking of leaving me out here, vulnerable and unprotected," he protested, a self-righteous tone brought on by self-pity beginning to creep into his voice, strengthening it. "I know you and I are not of the same species; but do I not feel fear and cold the same as you? Do I not also long for amiable companionship? Please, show me the compassion you would normally reserve for others of your own kind."

"I wish you'd stop talking like that, Doctor Smith. You're not an alien; you're just as human as I am."

Smith looked kindly upon the boy, sorry to be the one who would have to shatter his naïve belief in the simplicity of the universe. "Oh dear, sweet William, your words are kind, very kind, but even the greatest kindness cannot change cold, hard facts. If only it could. To think that all this time I have wanted nothing more than to return to wonderful, beautiful Earth, only to find that I am not even a native citizen. How they would shun me if they knew what I truly was. Why, even the Major is intent upon blowing me to Kingdom Come."

Unconvinced, Will folded his arms across his chest and squinted at the doctor. "If you're so sure you're an alien, prove it."

"Indeed! Such impertinence for one so young." Offended, Smith began tugging his boots back on. "This very rock I am sitting on should be proof enough," he added, a little sulkily if truth be told, but one suffering under such pressure as he was could surely be excused some shortness of temperament.

"Oh, that rock's been there forever. I could see it as we were approaching."

"Yes, but what caused it to be in so convenient a place, at exactly the point I needed to stop and rest?" Smith favoured Will with a knowing look and then significantly tapped his own forehead. "Me; I did."

Frustration overcame years of ingrained politeness to his elders, causing Will to exclaim "That's silly!"

"Very well, I can see that you require a further demonstration of my power. How very like a human." Whilst Will expansively rolled his eyes, Smith cast around for something with which to prove his extraterrestrial heritage and showcase his newfound mind-powers. "Now, let's see… Ah! Just the thing!"

Espying one of the pebbles he had shaken from his boot earlier, Smith picked it up with the intention of putting it to a far better use than effectively hobbling him. "Now observe closely," he instructed his young friend as he placed the stone flat in the centre of his outstretched palm, "Using only the power of my mind, I shall cause this stone to levitate."

Both looked expectantly at the stone, but although Will concentrated until his head hurt, the thing didn't so much as wobble.

"But I don't understand," Smith murmured to himself, forgetting his audience for a moment. Then, his performer's instincts returned and he regarded the young Robinson with a look that suggested he had everything perfectly under control. "I expect it just needs a little push to get it started. As you know, I've only just become aware of my phenomenal powers and I'm still learning to control them. Practice, practice, practice, young William – that's always been the Smith motto and it has made me the accomplished, distinguished man you see before you. Now, attend closely, here we go…"

And so saying, he launched the pebble straight up into the air with a neat flick of his wrist. "There now; what did I say? All it needed was the application of a little encouragement to make it soar like a bird."

"But Doctor Smith…" Will started to protest, but was immediately cut off.

"I know it's a lot for your young mind to take in, but what you have to remember is that I'm the same Zachary Smith that I always was. Just because my lineage has bestowed upon me gifts of infinite wisdom and power does not mean our friendship has to change in any way."

The pebble dropped to the ground. Smith glared at the inanimate object as if it had personally and deliberately wounded him. "Bah!"

"Doctor Smith…" The boy valiantly tried once again to inject a little reason into the current situation, succeeding only in achieving the same previous result.

"Hush William, can't you see I'm trying to think?" Smith lifted his head and scoped out their surroundings with something of the look of a professional in his stance. His face brightened when he found whatever it was he had been looking for. Following the direction of his eyes, Will was unable to work out what had the good doctor looking so pleased with himself all of a sudden.

"Obviously there is something blocking the effectiveness of my powers," Smith said, reasonably enough, his young friend was inclined to suppose. "Ah, over there, look, those rocks, they must be interfering with my mental abilities. We must remove ourselves from their dreadful shadow forthwith. Come along now, my boy, come along."

Together, the two intrepid space explorers vacated their place of rest, Smith's hand resting lightly on Will's elbow lest the continued shaking of the ground unbalance him. Soon they were out from beneath the overhang of the rocks, left squinting as they were exposed to the full heat of the sun. Shading his eyes with one hand, Doctor Smith critically eyed their new position.

"Yes, this is much better."

Something rumbled ominously.

"Really William, can't you control your stomach? It's putting me off my concentration."

Will gulped. "That wasn't my stomach, Doctor Smith." His eyes wide, he pointed towards the true source of the noise. Shambling out from behind the bank of rocks was a white-furred creature with a shape that could have said to have been humanoid, had it not been so hideous a parody of the human form. It's misshapen, clawed hands held high in a gesture of mindless savagery, it lurched steadily towards them. There could be no mistaking that they were the target of its wrath, for its beady red eyes were fixed solely upon them, and its slavering jaws opened in a bestial roar meant only for their ears.

Smith's scream joined with the alien's growl in unholy harmony. Knowing that as the possibly only surviving member of his as-of-yet unknown race, Smith knew that it was his solemn duty to protect himself, no matter how emotionally painful that might prove to be. So, he grabbed Will by the shoulders and pulled him close as a human shield, staring over the boy's shoulder with terrified eyes at the approaching monstrosity.

"Oh please sir, you wouldn't want to eat me, I'm old and stringy," he assured the monster, fighting to be heard over its deafening roars. Giving his young charge a small shove forwards, he hastily added "But this one is young and tender. Go ahead, take him, he's all yours."

"Doctor Smith!" Will admonished, shrinking back as the monster's claws reached for him. "Use your mind powers to get rid of it!"

"I can't William, I'm simply too exhausted."

The alien made another swipe at the boy. Will flinched as it came within inches of seizing the front of his top. "Try! You have to try!"

"Very well," Smith sighed. He raised his eyes to the heavens in a gesture of weary self-sacrifice. "Although I don't see what good it will do, we are surely doomed." Despite his pessimism regarding their survival, let it be said that the good doctor did make the effort to save them both. Focusing his entire mental prowess, he poured all of his formidable concentration onto the beast, willing it to go away. So completely did he give himself to the task, he was forced to close his eyes, the better to aid the consolidation of his thoughts into one irrefutable force.

"It's working!" Will's voice – shrill with relief – cut through Smith's consciousness. "The alien's running away!"

Cautiously, Smith opened one eye and was able to confirm that the boy was indeed correct in his assessments. All that was left of the monster was a glimpse of white fur on its fleeing back, before it had disappeared back behind the rock formation. A triumphant smile spread across his face and he dusted off his hands with an air of finality. "Of course it is. I for one never doubted for a moment that I would be able to scare it away."

The victory of the moment was spoilt by the ground giving another sudden lurch, more violent than any of the preceding tremors. It was strong enough to send both Will and Smith stumbling to their knees. "Good heavens," Smith murmured as he picked himself up, absently offering Will a hand. "Those lizards must be getting very close. We must make haste and get out of their path."

Will, looking over his shoulder, said solemnly "I think it may be a little late for that."

"What ever do you mean?" Smith started to say, his words dying away to nothing as his thoughts caught up with his mouth. Reluctantly, as if failure to look would somehow render reality nothing more than a dream that could be dispelled upon waking, he turned around. His jaw dropped open a little and he pulled Will close, telling himself that it was only the jolting of the ground that was making him tremble and not fear.

Approaching the two insignificant figures were the herd of migrating aliens, so close that Smith could make out the gnarled and hoary features of the leader's face. There were so many of the creatures that they filled the whole horizon, almost blotting out the sun and turning day into night. The ground rumbled and shook in helpless convulsions beneath the steady beat of their feet. The dry whisper of their scaly skin filled the air like the buzzing of a swarm of insects.

"We'll be crushed," Will gasped, his voice hushed with awe. "We'll never get out of their way in time."

Feeling strangely detached from their impending doom, Smith thought about how throughout his life he had never felt that he belonged anywhere, how he had always felt different from the rest of humanity, destined for greater things. He thought about how he had been able to freeze the Major in place when he had been threatened. His fear began slowly to melt away, replaced with a calm self-confidence.

"As I have said before and shall no doubt say again – never fear, Smith is here." Deliberately, he raised his arms with the palms facing out towards the migrating aliens in the universal signal for 'halt'. His head held high and his eyes blazing with might, he commanded in a deep, strong voice that the aliens turn back. A strong wind began to pick up, whipping his hair around, whilst he remained unbending beneath its assault, and an unearthly noise built to such a deafening pitch that it drowned out his orders.

And then he and Will were plucked from the surface of the planet.


	6. Chapter 6

"Put me down! Put me down at once, sir!" Smith cried indignantly, struggling in Professor Robinson's strong grip.

"Very well," the Professor agreed amiably and began to loosen his hold.

Realising what he had said, Smith screamed miserably and covered his eyes. "Wait, I implore you my dear sir, wait a moment," he wheedled, peering out through the gaps between his fingers. "Perhaps you would consider descending a little first?"

He, the Professor and Will were suspended high above the planet's surface, courtesy of the jetpack Professor Robinson wore on his back. It was this contraption – donned after dinner in order to aid the Professor's search – that had lifted the other two to safety mere seconds before they would have been trampled into oblivion. They had left the herd of lizards behind them and were coming into view of the Jupiter, Smith complaining bitterly all the way.

It was not until they had touched down just outside the ship and Will had hopped off the footholds at the back of the jetpack that John finally let go of the doctor. The women, Don and the Robot came running out of the ship, Maureen snatching Will up in a relieved hug which he tried sheepishly to wriggle out of.

"Of all the indignities," Smith growled, dusting off the sleeves of his top as if the Professor's touch had dirtied them. "If it had not been for your intervention I would have turned those marauding monsters around and sent them back the way they came."

John grabbed Smith by the shoulder and turned him roughly around to face him. "If it hadn't been for my intervention, you and Will would have been killed. Just what did you think you were doing, taking my son out there?"

"But Dad…" Will piped up from his mother's arms, obviously not having yet learnt his lesson: Whether he opened his mouth or kept it shut, the result would always be the same – no one would hear what he had to say.

"Not now, son."

Catching sight of Don's thunderous face, Smith ducked out of John's grip and fled towards the Robot, effectively avoiding both the question and the Major's wrath. Safely behind the robot's bulk, he tapped it smartly on the shoulder and demanded "Do something you cowardly clump, that maniac's been trying to blow me up!"

The Robot waved its arms without much enthusiasm.

"Don, is that true?" Judy turned her pretty blue eyes up to the Major and blinked her long eyelashes.

The Major's anger appeared to be mollified by Judy's gaze. "No, of course not."

"He's lying! That brute is so close-minded that he would try to destroy me just for being different. As a space pioneer you should be ashamed of yourself. It's your duty to extend the hand of friendship towards alien species such as myself."

"Alien species?"

"It's true, Dad!" Will finally managed to get the Professor's attention. "Me and Doctor Smith were attacked by this big old monster and Smith managed to scare it off using just the power of his mind."

"I have computed Doctor Smith and he is the same commonplace human he has always been."

"Bah! You've got your wires crossed, you useless bag of bolts."

Will waited patiently for this exchange to take place before speaking up again. "And just before I left to find Doctor Smith, I saw Don laying explosive charges. He didn't know I was there and I overhead him talking to himself, saying that when Doctor Smith came back to the ship, he was going to blow him up."

"Now wait just a darn minute, I was setting those charges to blow up a stretch of land so that the aliens would have to detour and avoid the Jupiter."

"But I heard you and the Professor saying that you were going to abandon ship and leave it to be trampled," Smith accused hotly.

Just before an argument could break out between the three men, Maureen stepped between them and held up her hands. "I think there've been a lot of misunderstandings going on today. It's about time you all started listening instead of just talking at each other."

"You're absolutely right, darling," John readily agreed. "First of all, no one's been trying to kill anybody. Don and I decided this morning that, since the Jupiter is in need of repairs before we can even attempt to move it, we would just have to cut it off from the alien's migration path. I sent Don out to set down some explosives, so we could blast a hole into the planet's surface and cut off the alien's approach."

"Then why did you need everyone to pack?" Smith asked suspiciously.

"When the explosives went off, I wanted to have everyone out of the way in case anything went wrong, so Maureen, the girls and Will were going to take the Chariot and spend the night out in it, out of harm's way."

"There now," Maureen smiled, "Doesn't everything make a lot more sense when we're all open and honest with each other, instead of skulking around behind each other's backs and keeping our fears to ourselves?"

A look of anguish on her face, Penny suddenly blurted "There's something I have to say to everyone…"

"Danger! Danger!" The Robot interrupted, a split second before the ground gave an almighty heave, throwing them all flat on their faces.

"What's happening?" Judy cried, clutching onto the Major as he helped her to her feet. The ground relentlessly shook beneath them as if it would split apart at any moment, sending them all plummeting down to the planet's fiery core.

"It's the aliens! We've left it too late to detonate the charges and now they're almost here!"

As one man, the Robinson party turned to the horizon, which was rapidly filling with gargantuan alien life forms. Was this how their adventures were to end? How the first space pioneering expedition was to conclude? Trampled beneath the giant feet of uncaring, indifferent creatures? Had all mankind's dreams come this far only to meet so tragic an end?

No, there was still a hero left in their midst, a defender of dreams and ambitions and the American way of life, one man who could overcome his fears when all seemed lost and see the fight through to the bitter end. That man was Doctor Zachary Smith.

"You stopped me from saving this family once before, but not again!" Smith shouted over the cacophonous din of the advancing monsters. "I will render these creatures immobile, just as I did Major West. You shall all see that Zachary Smith is unafraid to lay down his life for his friends, even when they have spurned him for not being one of their species." He took off at a run towards the aliens, shouting over his shoulder "Never fear, Smith is here!"

"He'll be killed!" Bravely, Will rushed off after the older man, struggling to keep his footing on the treacherously unstable terrain.

"Son! No!" Professor Robinson's voice joined in the general confusion of deafening sounds as he sprinted after his child.

Soon the whole Robinson party were hurtling headlong into the path of the giant lizards.

A meagre few feet away from the oncoming monsters, they were forced to a halt. The jolting of the ground meant that it took all of their effort simply to stand, making running any further a physical impossibility. Penny fell to her knees with a cry, clutching protectively at a slight bulge in the coat she still wore, tears in her eyes. Maureen crouched over her daughter, determined to protect her even in the face of impossible odds.

"Smith!" Don yelled, struggling forwards a few steps toward the doctor, who stood slightly ahead of them all. "Get back here."

Smith glanced over his shoulder. "Go back Major; get the others to safety. This is something I must do alone."

"I'm not leaving you here to die," the Major declared, laying his hand heavily on Smith's shoulder. In return, the doctor flung his arm backwards, knocking the Major to the heaving ground.

His chin tilted defiantly upwards, Smith gazed imperiously into the eyes of the approaching beasts. With his will alone, with the powers invested to him by his alien birthright, he would turn them back. He focused with all his might. The creatures kept coming. The cold, reptilian eyes of the leader looked impassively back into his own. They were the ancient inhabitants of this planet, denizens of the vast universe, and he was only a poor Earthman who wanted nothing more at that moment to be at home in a terrestrial bed, where such creatures as these only existed in nightmares.

"I can't do it!" He wailed, throwing his arms up over his face so that he would not have to see death come for him. "Save me!"

It was at this moment of impending doom that Penny cried out and tried to stop something from climbing out of her coat. She grabbed at it, holding the edges together, but to no avail. A small, furry thing came bounding out and scuttled across the ground towards Doctor Smith. There was a second or two in which nothing happened, then the aliens stopped in their tracks as if they had been frozen in place. Peace descended, in which the only sound to be heard were strange squeaks and chitters emitting from the little creature. As if in obedience to its unintelligible noises, the reptilian aliens turned and began to stump away. The danger was over!

"Oh Maggie, you saved us!" Penny ran towards the creature and scooped it up in her arms. It blinked at her and contentedly bristled its fur as she hugged it to her chest. "Doctor Smith," she laughed, looking down at the inert form of the stowaway, "You can get up and open your eyes now – the aliens are gone."

With as much dignity as he could muster, Smith uncurled himself, stood and dusted off his clothes. "I told you I would turn them back, did I not?"

"It wasn't you, it was Maggie… I think."

"And just who – or what – is Maggie?" Professor Robinson wanted to know.

Penny's cheeks flushed as she turned towards her father, tentatively holding up the furry bundle in her hands for closer inspection. "I meant to tell you sooner, honest I did, sir; only you were so busy with the aliens and…" She trailed off, lowering her dark eyes to the ground as she fidgeted uncomfortably. "And I was worried you would say I couldn't keep her," she finished in a self-conscious mumble, acutely aware that she had become the centre of everyone's attention.

The alien chirruped ingratiatingly.

"I don't think we would be here if it weren't for Maggie." Unable to hold onto his stern expression any longer, John broke into a smile and laid a gentle hand on his youngest daughter's shoulder. "It would be discourteous of me if I said she couldn't stay. You can keep her, darling."

"Really?" Penny's eyes shone with hope. "Oh, thank you, Daddy!" She beamed down at the little creature in her hands. "I'll take such good care of you."

"Provided, of course, that she won't cause any trouble," Professor Robinson added.

The Robot came to the rescue of Penny's future happiness. "I do not compute anything dangerous about the alien. It possesses telekinetic powers, but they have evolved only to be used as a natural defence system, not to cause harm."

"Surely you can't seriously be considering letting that thing back onto the ship?" Smith blanched, eyeing the diminutive alien with evident disdain. "That's the creature that attacked me this morning."

"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, Doctor Smith. Maggie wouldn't hurt anyone."

As if eager to confirm this statement, the alien leapt from Penny's arms to become a little furry missile heading straight towards Smith. Despite his best efforts to bat it away, it landed upon his shoulder and nuzzled up against his cheek, cooing softly. Penny giggled behind her hand, her eyes bright with amusement. "I think she likes you."

"Indeed. Unhand me at once, madam," the doctor sternly addressed the alien, to no effect.

"Then I guess it must have been Maggie who put me out of action this morning," Don mused, looking at Doctor Smith in a way that the older man didn't trust at all. He readied an expression of dire contempt, his eyes narrowing and his mouth drawing down at the corners, anticipating one of the Major's feeble attempts at humour.

"Welcome back to the human race, Smith," Don grinned and clapped the Doctor so heartily on the shoulder that he stumbled and almost fell.

"Bah!" Smith spat out, injecting the single word with as much venom as he could possibly muster.

Giddy with their narrow escape from certain death and relieved by the knowledge that for now they were safe upon the barren little rock they were forced to call home, the Robinson party laughed uproariously. All except for Doctor Smith of course, and the Robot, because everybody knows that robots cannot laugh.


	7. Epilogue

It was after breakfast and Penny and Judy were tending to the hydroponic garden. Sweet-tempered girl that she was, Judy was wonderful at gardening, her nimble fingers plucking away any dead leaves and lovingly tending to the hungry roots. Penny would much rather have gone out to play with Will, but she understood that in their little community everyone had to help out. Besides, she'd rather be watering the plants than helping her mother tidy up the kitchen area, like Will had been enlisted to do.

"Careful!" Judy's voice interrupted her straying thoughts and Penny realised that she had just tried to water her sister.

"Sorry," Setting down the watering can, she went to her older sister's aid. Judy's shoes were wet through. Laughing, she helped her sister out of them and they set them down on a nearby rock to dry before carrying on with their tasks.

"Look Penny, I've managed to get a strawberry plant growing," Judy proudly drew attention to a little green shoot nestled amongst the other various leaves, small red shapes bulging from it at irregular intervals. Her slender fingers ruffled the greenery as she reached in to pluck one free. "It's very small. I guess we'll have to adjust the soil to help them grow better. But just think, soon we could be eating fresh strawberries!" Smiling, she offered the strawberry to her sister.

"Mmm, that is good," Penny managed to get out around her mouthful of fruit.

It was at that moment that Major West walked past, a few metal poles slung casually over his shoulder. He paused to admire the hydroponic garden. "It's looking good, Judy," he commented before moving on.

Penny watched curiously as the older girl giggled and coquettishly lowered her eyelids. Sighing, she thought about watering her sister again. "Gooey," she muttered to herself, "Positively gooey."

Evidently, Judy was far too preoccupied with her own thoughts to hear and asked "What do you think of Major West?"

With studied indifference, Penny ventured a shrug, annoyed by the wistful tone of her sister's voice. "He's okay."

"I think he's dreamy."

The younger girl was rather glad that the conversation was prevented from going any further by the timely arrival of their mother. "Have either of you seen Will?" She fretted, her brow furrowed. "I asked him to bring in the breakfast plates over ten minutes ago and he still hasn't come back." The three women looked around, but the immediate area around the Jupiter was deserted apart from them.

The two girls confessed to not having seen Will since breakfast.

Their ears were assailed by the sound of approaching footsteps and they turned expectantly towards them, only to find to their disappointment that it was Doctor Smith and the Robot. Unusually for him, Smith was approaching the camp at something of a run, but on realising that he was being observed he abruptly slowed to a walk and assumed an expression of innocence so pure that it was almost believable.

"Good morning ladies, my dear madam, I hope you are all well," he hailed them with the kindliest of smiles, crinkling the corners of his eyes in a manner most avuncular.

"Doctor Smith, have you seen Will? I told him to stay close by the ship; John and the Major have gone out to do some blasting at the drill site and I didn't want him getting in the way."

"Will? Why, I'm afraid not, I haven't seen the dear little boy all morning. I've been terribly busy. My back is simply a disaster area today; I must go and rest if I'm to be expected to keep up this relentless pace all day."

"Warning! Doctor Smith does not tell the truth; Will is…" The Robot fell silent mid-sentence as Smith leant over and pulled out his power pack.

"What was that he said? It sounded like he mentioned Will."

"It was nothing, madam, simply a little dust in his circuits, I'm sure you understand." Smith aimed a few gentle puffs of air in the general direction of the power pack. "Wherever Will may be, I'm certain that he wouldn't have been so foolish as to go to the drill site."

Maureen would have replied, had not the air then been rent by the deafening sound of an explosion…

_Coming soon to a computer screen near you: It has been twenty-five years since the Robinson party – excluding the stowaway Doctor Smith – made it back to Earth. Now the time has come for them to reunite and head for the stars one last time in order to rescue the doctor. How will time have changed them? Will they be able to rescue Doctor Smith? What foul horrors await them in the blackness of space? Only time will reveal the answer to these questions and more!_


End file.
